strip mine

See also: strip-mine

English

strip mine (plural strip mines)

A mine where the material above the ore is removed (stripped) to expose it for removal and use.

strip mine (third-person singular simple present strip mines, present participle strip mining, simple past and past participle strip mined)

Alternative spelling of strip-mine
- 1971, Richard Cartwright Austin, Peter Borrelli, The Strip Mining of America: An Analysis of Surface Coal Mining and the Environment, Sierra Club, page 18:
  Estimates of coal which can be strip mined should not be interpreted to mean that this coal can only be strip mined. Strip mining began as a process of recovering coal which was located quite near the surface of the earth or at the "outcrop" on a hillside. But now it is common to strip mine coal which is buried beneath 80 to 150 feet or more of rock, quite enough rock to support the roof of an underground mine.
- 1978, Lorne G. Everett, Groundwater Quality Monitoring of Western Coal Strip Mining: Identification and Priority Ranking of Potential Pollution Sources, Volume 1, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory, page 1:
  Because of its low sulfur content, Western coal is generally preferred over Eastern coal for environmental reasons. As a result, Western coal is being strip mined at unprecedented rates.